Market in Asia for South Dakota's speciallty crops

March 04, 2008|By Elissa Dickey, edickey@aberdeennews.com

South Dakota-grown soybeans are making their way all the way to countries in Asia. “There is demand for food-grade soybeans,” said Leo Warrington of Warrington Seed in Bristol. Specifically, he said, there is a market in Asian countries for the soybean varieties natto and tofu, which Warrington Seed grows. Warrington spoke at a meeting last week in Aberdeen hosted by the South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service. A handful of people attended the meeting, which focused on opportunities for tomorrow's soybean markets. Warrington Seed is a contracted grower in this area for a company that markets identity-preserved commodities. In a normal grain elevator, Warrington said, everyone brings in grain, dumps it into a pit, and it all goes in a bin. But with identity-preserved, products are sorted by the variety of beans or wheat, he said, even down to the point of sorting it by grower. “The end user will have a good idea what variety it is, and ... to some degree, who grew it,” Warrington said. The natto is small (4,000-5,000 seeds per pound), Warrington said, while tofu is large (2,000-2,500 seeds per pound). He said the tofu soybean is fermented; the natto, he believes, is ground into a sauce in Asian countries. Potential problems: Problems with growing these varieties, Warrington said, include that they don't yield as much as Roundup Ready soybeans. Also, “finding someone who can help you grow these beans” is an issue, he said. After the meeting, Warrington said that Asian countries do not want Roundup Ready soybeans; they don't want genetically modified food in their food chains. Healthier oil: Roy A. Scott, professor of soybean breeding/genetics at SDSU, also spoke at the meeting. Scott and others at SDSU are trying to modify the fatty acids in soybeans for health and other reasons:

Lowering the linolenic acid adds flavor and will make the oil healthier, he said, as it will prevent the creation of trans fats.

Lowering the palmitic and stearic acids (the saturated fats) also makes it healthier.

Increasing the oleic acid allows a person to cook at higher temperatures without degrading the oil. It also makes for a longer shelf life and better oxidative stability - that is, how long you can cook in it without it degrading and oxidizing, which will cause a fishy odor, he said. Because biodiesel requires more stability in the oils, increasing the oleic acid might also create a better oil for biodiesel, Scott said. In his opinion, Scott said, in another 10 to 15 years, corn will plateau in terms of what it can contribute to alternative fuels. “Soybeans (are) going to be, in a big way, impacting the fuel industry,” he said.